לֵ֨ךְ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 לֵ֨ךְ

   LEKH

   go
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 עַתָּה֩ לֵ֨ךְ וְהִכִּֽיתָ֜ה

   a-TAH LEKH ve-hi-KI-tah

   now go and strike
3. clause🔊 עַתָּה֩ לֵ֨ךְ וְהִכִּֽיתָ֜ה אֶת־עֲמָלֵ֗ק וְהַֽחֲרַמְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ל עָלָ֑יו

   a-TAH LEKH ve-hi-KI-tah et-a-ma-LEK ve-ha-kha-ram-TEM et-kol-a-SHER-lo ve-LO takh-MOL a-LAV

   now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that belongs to him and do not spare upon him
4. sentence🔊 עַתָּה֩ לֵ֨ךְ וְהִכִּֽיתָ֜ה אֶת־עֲמָלֵ֗ק וְהַֽחֲרַמְתֶּם֙ אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ל עָלָ֑יו וְהֵמַתָּ֞ה מֵאִ֣ישׁ עַד־אִשָּׁ֗ה מֵֽעֹלֵל֙ וְעַד־יוֹנֵ֔ק מִשּׁ֣וֹר וְעַד־שֶׂ֔ה מִגָּמָ֖ל וְעַד־חֲמֽוֹר׃

   a-TAH LEKH ve-hi-KI-tah et-a-ma-LEK ve-ha-kha-ram-TEM et-kol-a-SHER-lo ve-LO takh-MOL a-LAV ve-he-MA-ta me-ISH ad-i-SHA me-o-LEL ve-ad-yo-NEK mi-SHOR ve-ad-SE mi-ga-MAL ve-ad-kha-MOR

   now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that belongs to him and do not spare upon him and put to death from a man to a woman from a child and to an infant from an ox and to a sheep from a camel and to a donkey

Exegesis

The imperative lekh {לֵ֨ךְ | lēḵ} ‘go’ with vav consecutive leads into a series of jussive commands, beginning with a parallel structure of vehikitah {וְהִכִּיתָ֜ה | wə-hik-ki-tā} ‘and you shall strike’ and vehacharamtem {וְהַֽחֲרַמְתֶּם֙ | wə-hă-ḥă-răm-tĕm} ‘and you shall utterly destroy’, intensifying the military imperative.

Root and etymology

מ־ל־כ🔊 mem–lamed–kaf

“to rule”

• 🔊 מַלְכָּהmalkâqueen2 Samuel 12:20